Universal vise.



No. 790,540' V I PA'ITENTED MAY 23, 1905.

H. J5 VALENTINE.

' UNIVERSAL VISB.

' APPLICATION PILED AUG. 16,1904

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No. 790,540. y PATENTED MAY 23, 190.5. H. J. VALENTINE.

UNIVERSAL VISE.

APPLIOATION'IILED AUG. 16,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J. VALENTINE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO OOLUMBIAN HARDWARE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF orno.

UNIVERSAL VISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letter:- Pabnt NO. 790,540, datedIYIay 23, 1905.

Anplication filed August 16,1904. Serial No. 220.953-

To all whom, it TIT/[by concern- Be it known that I, HARRY J VALENTINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Universal Vises, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vises of the class known as universal, by which work of various characters may be clamped for planing and milling and may be held in a great number of different positions, according to the nature of the work.

The objects of the invention are to obtain simplicity, durability, and strength and to rigidly hold the clamping jaws on their swivel connection.

These being among the ends in view, my

, invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, such as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, illustrating a suitable embodiment of the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the universal vise, partly in perspective. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the ball-andsocket connection on which the clampingjaws are adjusted and through the leverage means used for locking the parts of the balland-socket joint; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lever preferably used, cooperating parts being in section.

Referring to the drawings, the base a of the vise is shown as supporting a back jaw?) and a movable jaw c, the faces of these jaws being preferably lined with hard steel. The means whereby the movable jaw is adjusted to or from the relatively stationary back jaw b are not shown in detail, as any suitable and well-known means may be used for that purose. It will be understood that the lever evice d acts on a suitable screw-s indle or i the like, which in turn acts to a just the I with a socket 6, preferably closed, as by a plug 6 and which has bearing in a pocket or socket 0/, located on the base a, thus forming aball-and-socket joint; A locking-headf is located in-the socket e, and they together form a ball-and-socket locking connection between the clarnping-jaws and suitable levera e means which is actuated for the purpose of binding the headf in the socket e, whereby the movable jaws may be held rigid or locked, whether they have been'inclined to one side of the axis of the stemf of the head, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, or whether they have been turned around said axis, as on a swivel-joint. The head and socket 6' also form a swivel-joint. The stemf of the head f passes through a preferably enlarged opening a in the base a and extends into a recess (1 located in the bottom of the base. The socket e is contracted at e to retain the ball upon the base and the locking-head and from its contracted opening the wall of the ball is flared to provide a flaring portion, which'precludes interference of the stem f therewith in all inclined positions of the back jawshank. Arranged in the said recess a is a suitable lever 9, preferably of the first passing therethrough is screw-spindle j, the

thread 7' of which turns in a correspondinglythreaded portion 3' of the base a. That end of said spindle which passes through the aperture i is provided with a nut or abutment k, which is adapted to exert pressure on the lever when the spindle is properly rotated. A suitable lever or winch Z acts on the spindle j for turning it and moving it in one or the other direction longitudinally of its axis.

The embodiment of the invention illus trated acts as follows: When it is desired to loosen the locking connection at e, the

screw-spindle is turned on its axis, so as to move it in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, thereby relieving the pressure on the lever g, so that it may move into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and unloosening the headf. The clamping-jaws are then free to be moved into any desired position, whereby a universal adjustment is obtainable. hen the clamping-jaws have been moved, say, to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the screw-spindle j is turned so as to move it in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, thereby actuating the lever, causing the same to rock on its knuckle or fulcrum g and to exert a powerful leverage upon the locking-headf of the stem f and abutment 7c, so that the internal head fis caused to firmly and rigidly bind upon the ball 6.

It is evident that the construction shown may be altered in several respects and that parts may be omitted and parts added by skilled mechanics without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas, for instance, the connection between the back jaw and locking-lever may be modified.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vise, the combination of a base, universally-adjustable aws, an internal lock in a portion of one of the aws, and leverage means for acting on said lock, and having a suitably-supported longitudinally-movable and rotary operating screw-spindle said spindle being threaded into the said base, substantially as described.

2. In a universal vise, the combination of clamping-jaws, a base, a ball-and-socket joint connecting the jaws with the base, an

internal lock in a part of one jaw for fixing the jaws in adjusted position on the base, and means connected with the internal lock, and having a longitudinally-momrble and rotary screw-spindle threaded into the base to act thereon to aflect said lock, substantially as described.

3. In a universal vise, the combination of the base, clamping-jaws mounted for ad justment thereon in a plurality of positions, a lever, a screw-spindle acting on one end of: said lever, and a ball-and-socket lock between the lever and one aw, said lever having a knuckle or fulcrum-piece thereon located between the ball-and-socket lock and the screw-spindle and bearing upwardly on the base, substantially as set forth.

4. In a universal vise, the combination of the base, clamping-jaws, one of which is provided with a ball, said base being provided with a pocket or socket in which the head is adapted to swivel, a ball-and-soeket lock for the head and jaws, the head or ball thereof being provided with a stem and the base with an aperture through which said stem passes, a lever having a lmaring-point at the under side of the base, a screw-spindle moun ted for longitudinal movement in the base and acting on the lever, and an abutment on said stem upon which the lever is adapted to press, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Cleveland, Ohio, this 8th day of August, 1904.

HARRY J. VALEN'llNE.

Witnesses:

F. DORN, M. E. EWING. 

